The Dragon's Thunder
------------------------------
by Elements Of Desire
Where both deliberate, the love is slight:
Who ever lov'd, that lov'd not at first sight?
-Christopher Marlowe
(Hero and Leander)
When this world began it was Heaven's plan,
There should be a girl for ev'ry single man;
To my great regret someone has upset,
Heaven's pretty program for we've never met;
I'm clutching at straws, just because
I may meet her yet.
Somebody loves me
I wonder who, I wonder who she can be
Somebody loves me
I wish I knew, who can she be worries me,
For ev'ry girl who passes me I shout,
Hey! maybe, You were meant to be my loving baby;
Somebody loves me I wonder who,
Maybe it's you?
-Ballard MacDONALD and B.G. DeSYLVA
Somebody Loves Me
(from "She Loves Me")
Part I
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You say I'm stubborn, and you're right, I am that.
You say I'm strong, and you're right about that too. But
sometimes when you're not watching me, I let go of my
strength and stay weak and frail, so that when you turn
back, you may see me as who I am, not strong, not stubborn,
but me for me. For you have already shown me yourself,
and I believe you to be always strong no matter what. I
love you for your strength and compassion, I just want to
know one thing, can you love me without them?
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I remember how Rei used to tease us about how we were
getting too idle in our old age, whether or not we look it.
She was perhaps right about that, being that no one
was ever on time for meetings now, and Usagi-chan tend to
be one of the first. Rei, had at first yelled at us, but
time and time again it happened, even Ami sometimes was
late as well, till Rei just gave up, until she herself was
no longer on time. Now it was Usagi who was always there
waiting for us, had we been told this a thousand or so
years ago, we would've laughed at the thought of Usagi,
Serenity, ever being on time for anything, and especially
since the thought of our own selves being late sounded lame
and surreal. But time had proved us wrong, instead we wait
at the gates of Paradise for something else, watching the
storm roll in from the horizon and wonder, could the storm
touch us again? Can this fragile barrier against its
roaring thunder and unending lightening, truly move its
unmerciful ways? Serenity had always hated the storm,
while I, her bodyguard, one of her most loyal subjects, as
well as best of friends, loved the storm, watched it open
its jaws, even to paradise, and scream out in piercing,
unending screams of rage and sorrow. For somehow, the
storm always seemed to mirror my own soul, and until it is
complete, the storm will forever rage within me, let it be
rain or snow, thunder or lightening, the dragon is out
there, and I, it's lightening forever wait for it, hoping
for him to return to the lair he had abandoned, once, so
long ago.
The streets of Crystal Tokyo, somewhere during 2857?
The city traffic roared on its own, sounds of car
horns and excited shouting filled the damp, cool air.
Spring was coming to an end, and summer was finally
returning, as the leaves rustled under the gentle breeze of
late spring, Rei's birthday was coming up and everyone was
talking about it except Rei, who had seemed to all but
forgotten her own birthday. She's been under a lot of
stress lately haven't she? The woman pondered to herself
and smiled wearily, poor Rei, I just wish she'd talk about
all her problems with us instead of being so stubborn and
trying to hid it, its so obvious that she's distressed
over her last encounter with Jadeite, Minako even said so,
speaking of which Minako also seemed to be distressed about
something. Shaking her head sadly, the woman stopped as
she turned into a store and disappeared, only to step into
a darkly lit room, wooden boards creaking under her weight,
and dark-rich, chocolate colored walls peeked at her from
behind rows of bookcases, display cases and boxes. The
smell of fresh pine wafted to her nose, as she wrinkled her
brow slightly at the thought of a memory from the past, I
wonder why I keep returning here in the first place, she
thought-a thought that had become a ritual-being that she
had it ever time she visited the old shop.
Tokyo city, sometime around the 1990s?
"Do you like to watch the stars?" He looked startled
at her question, and smiled ever so slightly, making her
heart skip a beat.
"Why do you ask?" He questioned, as he moved up next
to her and wrapped his arms around her slim, muscled form,
making her feel slightly dazed and out of breath.
"Hm?no reason in particular." She finally replied,
her voice slightly breathless.
"Well then, in that case, I guess I never really
thought about it, I have better things to look at." He
replied and looked up into the sky. She frowned at his
answer, it was somehow disappointing that he said it that
way, which was strange, as if all of her love depended on
that simple and insignificant question.
"Oh?it's late, I should be heading home now."
She finally said after a long stretch of silence, which to
her was seemingly unbearable.
"Huh? Oh yeah, sure." He quickly pulled away, and
grinned slightly. "Daijobu, Mako-chan?" He asked
worriedly, as he glanced at her still frowning face.
"Oh, hai, hai, don't worry about me." She replied
quickly, to the dark haired boy, "I'm quite alright."
Blushing she forced a smile onto her lips and lightly
pecked him on the cheek, "I'd like to thank you for the
wonderful night, tonight." She smiled as she pulled
away, "It was very romantic."
From then on she started to withdraw into herself,
unconsciously pushing him away, perhaps from that night on,
she knew the answer to her true question, he wasn't the one
that she was looking for. "Mako-chan, why have you stopped
speaking to me?" He asked her angrily, as he stomped into
the gazebo, "You've been like this since that?" He looked
amazed for a moment, before finishing his sentence.
"?night, when you asked me if I liked the stars." He
frowned, slightly agitated at the conclusion his head was
giving him, but his heart didn't want to accept. "Is there
someone else Mako-chan?" He finally asked.
Her eyes widened in surprise, "How can you say that?"
She turned to him, and tried to walk toward him, "I would
never-"
"Then why did you change when you found out that my
world doesn't revolve around the stars in the night?" He
looked jealous then, but suddenly his look cooled, "You're
lying to me Makoto," his face was like that of stone, his
eyes hidden in shadows. "We're through, you hear me? I can't deal
with this right now, I can't deal with you playing behind my back!"
Before she could say anything else he spun away and ran out of the
gazebo, the same gazebo that they first met in, the same one he first
told her how much he loved her, and now, the same gazebo he
broke her heart in. Dumped, she hated that word, oh, how
she hated it. How could he accuse her of cheating on him?
Though all thoughts fleeted her mind as she suddenly
realized from deep within, that he was gone, gone! No, it
can't be, he can't leave me all alone!
No, I love you! Her mind cried, desperately she
nearly tripped over her own umbrella, for she had dropped it
onto the ground from the shock and hurt of his accusations,
but caught herself before could she fall. "Don't leave me, I
love you!" She stumbled outside, as she watched the last of
his shadows disappear, not even noticing the rain that wetted
her hair, soaking her shirt, not even realizing the shadow of a
boy beside her, shielding her from the pounding rain. "Don't
leave me?" She whispered, before realizing a presence other
then herself beside her, glancing over startled, she saw him, her
best friend since grade school. "Kenji-chan?"
"Daijobu, Mako-chan?" He smiled at her worriedly, yet
soft and understanding, waiting patiently for her reply.
"Why did he leave me, Kenji-chan? What did I do
wrong?" The tears began to flow then, the shock was now
wearing off to total weariness, hurt washed throughout her
body. Kenji looked at her in dismay and surprise, he never
seen Makoto cry before, nor was he ready to see her cry
now, he simply didn't know how to deal with it, but slowly,
hesitantly, he put an uncertain arm around her trembling
shoulders. She broke down then, clinging to him, as she
wept in the rain, in his arms, against his chest, as her
body trembled at the continuing pressure of her emotions,
seemingly too strong to hold back, so she cried and
whimpered softly against him, trying to let go. Like the
rain, like the storm, it to would soon end and dissipate,
but there would be puddles to remind us that storms never
end until it has cried all of its tears, it will keep going
till it has finally found the root of its sadness, until
the sun could finally reach it or it the sun. But at this
moment, Makoto did not care; all she wished to do was cry
and join the storm in its ritual spirit wails and haunting
remembrance, until the sun comes back again.
Three years later?
"Mako-chan, daijobu?" The odango-blond bent over her
friend with a worried expression on her face.
"Hai?" She replied absent-mindedly.
"Mako-chan?" The dark-haired priestess walked up to
her and looked deeply into her eyes, "What's this you're
trying to hid from us?"
"Rei-chan, look who's talking." Another blond-haired
girl with a red ribbon in her hair said, grinning foolishly
as Rei gave her a glare.
"I'll show you who's talking!" Rei said darkly under
her breath.
"Guys, please, stop this fighting and just let Mako-
chan speak for herself." The blue-haired genius said with
a weary sigh as she stood beside the odango-haired blond,
looking equally worried at the auburn-haired Makoto.
"Nothing's the matter, okay?" She quickly stood up,
startling the odango-haired girl so much that the blond
fell backwards, knocking into the blue-haired girl.
"Mako-chan, don't lie, we know something's up." The
blond-haired girl frowned.
"Minako-chan, don't pry." Makoto said tiredly.
Rei and Minako looked to each other worriedly, and
then the dark-haired priestess finally looked to Makoto
with a serious face. "Mako-chan, I know at times it's hard
to put down your walls, but we're your friends, and we can
see something is wrong, so please, let us help you." The
rest of the senshi all leaned forward and looked at her
anxiously.
Makoto in turn glared at them all, "Leave me alone
will you?" She said, and shoved the startled Rei and
Minako aside as she stormed passed them, "I have nothing to
say to you guys, got it?" She didn't even wait for an
answer before she raced down the temple steps.
"Oh dear, that didn't go very well at all." The blue-
haired girl sighed, as she helped the odango-haired blond
to her feet.
"Talk about being in a bad mood, I thought that was
your department Rei-chan." Minako joked, trying to lighten
up the mood.
"Hai?so did I." Rei said softly, as she walked over
to the odango-haired blond, surprising everyone for not
yelling at Minako.
"Daijobu, Usagi-chan?" The dark-haired priestess
asked, as she pulled on one of odango-pigtails.
"H-hai, Rei-chan." Usagi said shakily, before turning
to look at where Makoto had last been before disappearing,
"I just hope Mako-chan is alright though."
"Whatever it is, she's not going to tell us
willingly." The blue-haired genius stated quietly.
"Which means-" an evil grin appeared on three of the
four faces of the senshi team.
"Oh no guys, we shouldn't!" The blue-haired girl
tried desperately to intervene.
"Shouldn't what?" The blond-haired girl asked
innocently.
"Hai, what shouldn't we do Ami-chan?" The odango-
haired girl joined in with a pout.
"Well-" Ami begun.
"Well, then, let's go!" Rei cut in, and the three
girls all beamed.
A chorus of "Hai!" stopped all arguments, as Ami
sighed in exasperation. "Where are Luna and Artemis when
you need them?" She asked sadly to herself, just as she
was dragged in the direction where Makoto was last and the
search was on.
Crystal Tokyo Palace, present times?
"Ami-chan, let me see that!" A squeal rang out.
"Hey, move over Usagi-chan!" The auburn-haired woman
shoved at the odango-haired queen. Silver hair went
flying, whipping a tail into a blond-haired woman's face.
"Hey! Watch where you're aiming that thing Usagi-
chan!" The blond exclaimed, as she shoved the silver
strands from her face with disgust.
"I'm the queen, you'd think I'd get more respect
because I'm royalty!" Usagi said turning her nose in the
air, as the rest of the women twitched slightly at the
haughty comment, too bad Rei wasn't there to deflate her,
Makoto thought wickedly.
"Usagi-chan, we've known you for over a span of a few
thousand years now." A blue-haired woman said with a
sigh.
"Yeah, we've known you in a time when you'd
unwittingly step on anything and everything well you walk
and tripping or falling all over yourself doing it!" The
blond joined in.
"Hai, and now you're expecting preferential treatment
because all of a sudden you're royalty?" The auburn haired
woman said, nodding her head as the other two women looked
at her strangely.
"Uh, Mako-chan, Usagi's been queen for quite some time
now." Ami finally said after a stretch of silence.
"Oh, well you know what I mean." Makoto said, laughing
nervously at her mistake as her three friends crashed to
the floor, startling her, "Daijobu?" She asked looking down
at them, puzzled.
"Guys, guys, guys?look, we have a party to plan for
remember?" A dark-haired man sighed tiredly, as he walked
to the group just as the rest of the girls leapt to their
feet from the floor.
"Hai, we've all got to try our best to cheer up Rei-
chan!" Usagi cried out happily, just before she plowed into the
startled man with a hug. "Mamo-chan, did you miss me?"
She asked him starry-eyed.
"H-hai, Usako." He finally replied, after he pried
her vase like grip off of him and begun to breath normally
again.
"You ever wonder if Mamoru is ever ready for her to
plow into him like that?" Minako asked under her breath to
the two other women.
"Minako-chan!" The blue-haired Ami scowled as she
blushed at Minako's boldness.
"Iie, I think he tries to be, but just when he
relaxes, BAM! She slams into him!" Makoto said, with
great conviction.
"Who slams into what Mako-chan?" A calmed voice
asked, as Makoto turned around fearfully to face a not so
calm faced Usagi.
"Uh?nothing, nothing?" Makoto said with a laugh, as
Minako and Ami sighed sadly behind her.
"Mako-chan!"
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Usual Disclaimers, I don't own anything, I don't claim to own anything, I don't
make any profits from this, I don't even know how to WRITE! That was just
my evil twin taking over and wanting me to get in trouble! Hehe!
Anyho, this one got a little more intense then I had wished it to be, how? You
ask, you'll see *smiles smuggly to herself*.
So, questions, comments, ideas, flames, whatever!
at:
oceanblues@usa.net
I hope you enjoy!
Ja!
Elements of Desire